Stacie-Marie Laughton enters guilty plea in federal child abuse case

Stacie-Marie Laughton, a former New Hampshire lawmaker who is believed to be the first openly elected transgender lawmaker in U.S. history, recently pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges in federal court.

The 41-year-old former politician recently entered his plea in a Boston federal courtroom, according to WMUR. The charges included sexual abuse involving child sexual abuse material.

Laughton, who authorities say uses feminine pronouns, is accused of working with his ex-girlfriend Lindsay Groves to exploit children at Creative Minds day care in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.

Groves, a former employee of the daycare, took nude photos of the children and sent them to Laughton in 2022, while Laughton served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

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Authorities said Groves took four photographs of children under 5, according to an affidavit filed that year.

According to the filing, Laughton and Groves “exchanged thousands of text messages” around the time the images were sent. Laughton expressed interest in having sex with children in the messages, according to investigators.

When Laughton was elected as a state representative in 2012, she was considered the first openly transgender person elected to the state legislature. He was also the first in New Hampshire history.

Authorities said Lindsay Groves used her position at the day care to take illegal photos that were later shared with Laughton. (Nashua Police Department)

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However, Althea Garrison, a former Massachusetts state representative elected in 1992, was technically, though not openly, the first transgender lawmaker elected. He didn’t come out until shortly after the 1992 election.

Laughton’s political career was marked by difficulties and legal troubles. Shortly after Laughton was elected in 2012, he announced he would not serve due to prior felony-level credit card fraud convictions.

He tried to run again in 2014, but the New Hampshire Ballot Commission denied his request due to a suspended sentence. In 2020, Laughton ran to represent the New Hampshire House of Representatives for the 31st District and won.

Laughton’s plea comes after years of legal and personal wrangling since the 2012 election. (Hudon Police Department)

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He represented Nashua’s 3rd Ward until 2022, when he resigned after being arrested in a stalking incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.